Defence Systems & Equipment International

“So which of these kills more effectively?”

Every two years, arms dealers converge on London's Docklands for the Defence Systems & Equipment International (DSEi) arms fair. It is an important event in the international military equipment sales calendar. DSEi 2007 confirmed its position as one of the leading arms fairs in the world with 1,352 exhibitors from 37 countries. It is a "tri-service defence exhibition", which means it is a forum for selling military equipment of all kinds for land, sea and air.

DSEi's history

Between 1976 and 1991, the British Army Equipment Exhibition and the Royal Navy Equipment Exhibition were held on alternate years in Aldershot and Portsmouth respectively. Overseas delegations attended by invitation only, but those invited often included governments with such poor human rights records as Indonesia and Chile. Despite having been at war with Iran for almost six years, a five-strong delegation from Iraq was attended in 1986.

In 1993 the two exhibitions were combined and held every other year until New Labour decided to privatise the exhibition. Exhibitions company Spearhead launched the first DSEi in 1999 at Chertsey in Surrey. In 2001 it moved to its current location at the ExCel centre in the London borough of Newham.

Until 2003, DSEi had focused on land and marine technology, but in 2005 military technology was incorporated on a far greater scale, making up 25% of the exhibition.

Of course, just like on the railways, privatisation didn't mean the taxpayer stopped paying. Ministry of Defence estimated it would shell out £400,000 in 'direct costs', plus the time of many civil servants and army personnel (Hansard, 20/5/03).

UK Government support and official invitations to human rights abusing states

The arms fair is organised by Clarion Events and receives major support from the UK government: financial, logistical and political.

The government arranges invitations for delegations from the armed forces of other countries, contributes towards the cost of hosting these, pays for security for the event in the form of both civilian and Ministry of Defence police, supplies armed forces personnel for demonstrations at the event, and gives it profile through the attendance of ministers and senior officials. Like the arms trade as a whole, DSEi is focused entirely on business and profit but manages to get the taxpayer to facilitate it and fund it.

Given that the arms fair is an official UK government event, you might think that countries singled out by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for concern over human rights would not be invited to participate in an arms fair in the UK. But despite being listed as countries of major concern in the FCO's Human Rights Annual Report 2007, Colombia, China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Vietnam were invited to DSEi 2007. Their presence at DSEi not only gives them access to tools for further human rights abuses, but lends them political support and legitimises their actions.

Protests against DSEi

CAAT, along with other organisations, has been protesting against DSEi. The last DSEi took place in 2007 and was met with a wave of protest from local residents, community leaders, politicians and CAAT. The comedian and writer Mark Thomas addressed a peaceful demonstration organised by CAAT outside the event.

Action Reports: DSEi 2007 / DSEi 2005 / DSEi 2003
Download: DSEi 2005 Briefing (pdf, 800kb)